After the Fall
by Nicia
Summary: The moroi world is outmoded and outdated, but change always occurs. So what happens when a feisty guardian clashes with a closed off royal moroi? RxD. HEA. Rated M. Short chapters but daily updates. Entry for Mandy's BB Contest. Full summary inside.
1. Prologue

**Title: After the Fall.**

**Written for: Mandy's Banner Bunnies Competition.**

**Written By: Nicia**

**Rating: M**

**Summary: The moroi world is outmoded and outdated, but little acorns make the biggest trees. So what happened when a feisty dhampir clashed with a closed off moroi? Follow the love story of the vampire world's first dhampir queen. Dimitri POV. AU. Short chapters, will update daily. Rated M.**

**A.N. Entry for Mandy's Banner Bunnies Contest. Make sure to check out all the other great entries and vote when the time comes for your favourites! h t t p :/ mandy52799 (dot) blogspot (dot) co (dot) uk/2012/04/ vampire-academy-banner-bunnies-contest (dot) h t m l **

**All pics are on my profile (here and on fb – Nicia VA-ff) **

**Come join our facebook group 'Juliet had it easy; she never had to kill Romeo.' to chat with other VA lovers!**

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**After the Fall.**

**Prologue.**

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The high school student sighed as she scanned the bookshelves in the history section of her school library with disinterest.

She'd refused to complete one of her assignments, a simple one really, to write and then give an oral report on one of the great events that had occurred in their world in the past. But it had been boring. Everyone had talked about Queen Vasilisa taking the throne despite the tragedy that had seemingly left her as the only Dragomir, the re-discovery of the spirit element, dhampir-moroi or dhampir-dhampir relationships becoming more open and widespread, or even moroi being re-introduced to the concept of using offensive magic and fighting alongside their guardians.

But she hadn't wanted to do that. She didn't enjoy school, _no one_ did, and she certainly didn't want to be a goddamned sheep, talking, well, _gushing,_ over the same overrated topics that everyone else did.

Of course, when she told her teacher that when he asked for her report, he'd flipped and threatened her with detention. Which is when she'd snorted, and ended up being sent to the headmaster's office.

But that had been worse than being told off. He'd simply given her that disappointed look teachers always seemed to adopt around her, ever since her boyfriend, Jonah, had died and she'd started to act up in school. It was one of sympathy, no, _pity_, and she hated that.

The headmaster's punishment was for her to do the assignment, with a few _modifications_. He'd said that she could do it on anything, and she didn't have to give it orally, but what she did have to do, was to read a historical work that she found interesting, write a 'short' _five hundred word_ report that summarised the key points of the subject and why she'd chosen it, and then to tell the headmaster about it. "Sell it to me," he'd said.

She snorted again as he fingertips trailed along the spines of the thick, dusty old books that looked like they'd serve more use as fire kindling.

The thought made her laugh lightly, and after earning a strict look from the librarian, she settled on grabbing the one closest to her, and praying that it wasn't boring as hell.

_After the Fall._

"The fall? What fall?" The student tried to remember anything they'd learnt in history about a fall. Nothing, except for the Berlin Wall, but that was in the human world, and something she'd found out on her own, courtesy of google.

There was no blurb on the back, and impatiently, she flipped the cover open, her curiosity piqued and eager to see just what the book was about.

_The moroi world is outmoded and outdated, but change always occurs. So what happened when a feisty guardian clashed with a closed off royal moroi? __Ever wondered how we came to have Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway as our Queen? In this, the only autobiography of it's kind, comissioned by King Dimitri Belikov and his wife, Queen Rosemarie Belikova (neé Hathaway), find out the whole truth behind their chance meeting, courtship, and long and happy marriage, not just what you're told in those stuffy history lessons! Written by Lord Ivan Zeklos, advisor to, confidante and best friend of HRH King Dimitri Belikov._

"Wow…" The word was a barely audible whisper, slipping from between the student's lips as she stumbled back down the aisle and immediately sat on one of the beanbags in the 'reading section'. She couldn't wait to check it out, then wait for the bus, and have to suffer through the twenty minute long journey while such a goldmine was waiting to be read! Everyone always hushed her when she tried to find out about King Dimitri and Queen Rose.

The story was told, almost like a fairytale nowadays, and only briefly. No one seemed to want to promote that type of relationship amongst the royalty. It was fine for commoners, though the royals would never say that publicly, but amongst themselves, they only wanted to see moroi with other moroi. King Dimitri and Queen Rose's relatinship had been a slap in the face to those old traditions and cultures, and the uptight, stuffy royals had hated that their relationship hadn't crashed and burned.

Their relationship had always given her and Jonah hope, hope that they'd be accepted as other moroi-dhampir couples were, but when he'd been killed in an attack, well, she'd had nothing to hope for. But this book, maybe, just maybe, it would give her a little more insight.

Her hands shook as she flipped through the pages until she found the first chapter, and then, she began to read.

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**I hope you enjoyed that introduction, feel free to let me know what you thought! The next chapter will post tomorrow! **


	2. Chapter One

**Remember, this is AU, so while I may refer to events that happened in the books, don't become confused. In this story, they'll have happened in the past. For example, Lissa being Queen – it was an event that happened many, many years before, to one of Lissa's ancestors.**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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**Dimitri POV.**

**Chapter One.**

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"Save our tree! Don't let them destroy that which helps us to live! Save our tree! It's been here longer than we have, so why do we have the right to remove it for our own selfish means? Save. Our. Tree!"

The young woman's passionate shouts interrupted my train of thought as I planned out my evening.

"Here!" A brightly coloured leaflet was pushed in my face and I barely had time to grab it before she'd whirled away.

_Save the Shadow Kissed Tree._

My brow furrowed as I scanned over the leaflet briefly. It seemed that the Quorum wanted to cut down one of the largest trees in court, in order to build another statue in Queen Tatiana's honour. This one, it seemed, was to celebrate fifteen years of her being on the throne.

"Not only is it the largest tree here in court, it's also the oldest. It's a piece of _our_ history. When we first settled here, that tree was _already_ fully grown. _We_ grew around _it_. We centred Court around _it_. So why do we now think that we can remove it, as if we were the ones who planted it in the first place?"

Her speech was interesting, but I wasn't interested. I didn't have the time, or the patience to support any more campaigns. I worked almost twenty four seven, was helping my co-worker Ivan with one of his side projects, and also helped to promote five separate charities, three of which were in the human world and so required extra work and discretion so that people didn't find out about us vampires.

"Excuse me," I tapped her on the shoulder as she gave up on trying to convince a passer-by who'd been trying to ignore her pleas.

My eyes widened a little as they met hers – wide, expressive, hazel brown orbs which bored into mine, as though they could read my mind. They were framed by long, thick lashes, set in a heart shaped, face which looked both delicate and fierce at the same time. Long, dark brown hair fell in soft waves to her waist, which was slim and gave the illusion of the perfect hourglass figure.

"Yes?" I was surprised to see that she didn't have fangs, and my hackles rose. After the ordeal with Na- I couldn't even think her name without shuddering, I'd sworn off women, _dhampir_ women especially.

"I um-" I pushed the leaflet into her hands abruptly. "Thank you, but no thanks."

Fury painted her features. "What, you're too good to help protect something that can't speak up for itself?"

"No, I just don't have the time. I figured you could give the leaflet to someone who does."

Surprisingly, she sneered at me. "Damn moroi, you all think you're better than everyone else. Well fuck you!"

"Excuse me?" My voice was incredulous, and the young lady turned back to me sharply.

"You heard me! It's sick, the way people nowadays treat their environment. This tree is part of your birth right, and what are you doing to defend it?" When I didn't answer, triumph shone in her eyes. "Exactly."

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**Chapter two will be up tomorrow. I have an exam, so keep your fingers crossed for me and send me some good luck please! I'm gonna need it!**


	3. Chapter Two

**This story will be completely in DPOV, unless one of the other characters begins to yell for their POV to be heard.**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews, faves and alerts! xx**

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**Chapter Two.**

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_What, you're too good to help protect something that can't speak up for itself?_

I frowned and sighed as I sipped at my hot chocolate.

_This tree is part of your birth right, and what are you doing to defend it?_

The young woman's points had been circling around my mind all evening, causing a headache to pound behind my eardrums, and my mood to turn sour.

_It's a piece of our history._

_Save our tree!_

"God damn it." I scowled and slammed my notebook shut as her words swirled around my brain once again. Despite not wanting to get involved, it looked like my mind had other plans.

I sighed again, and headed into my office. If I was going to have another sleepless night, I might as well put it to good use and do some research.

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I sighed as I caught sight of the young woman, sat in the window of an almost empty café. I'd walked all over court looking for her, and had given up hope, until I saw her out of the corner of my eye, sipping from a large cup.

Butterflies exploded in my stomach as I entered and headed towards her table. I'd agreed to myself that I would help her if she wanted it, but that didn't mean I was entirely happy about it.

"Umm, excuse me."

Her brows rose as she glanced up, and then she grinned smugly. "Conscience get the better of you?"

I slammed the manila folder I'd been carrying around on the table top, and then headed over to the counter. "A bottle of coke please," I didn't usually drink anything fizzy or with caffeine in it, but I'd been up almost all night, stayed late at work, and then walked around for an hour looking at her, only to be met with a bitchy comment. I needed something that would ensure I wouldn't _accidentally_ reach over and strangle her if we even managed to have a conversation. "Actually, can you also add a café latte with two shots of espresso…" My mother had brought me up with manners, and so I also bought the young lady something to eat. "…and two poppy seed muffins? Thank you."

The cashier, a young blonde, smiled at me flirtatiously, and feeling my mood rise, I winked back, chuckling when a slight flush graced her cheeks.

Once she'd made my coffee and loaded everything onto a ridiculously small tray, I carefully carried it over to the table where the woman was sitting; coughing to get her attention when she didn't move her bag so I could set the tray down.

"I wasn't sure whether you were hungry or not, so I bought you a muffin too," I made small talk as I emptied the tray and placed my items onto the table top, before I took the tray back to the cashier and then sat down opposite her.

"Thank you." Her voice was filled with genuine gratitude, and I lifted my lips into a small smile.

"Why don't we start over? Hi," I held my hand out towards her. "I'm Dimitri Belikov."

She grinned and shook my hand. "Rose Hathaway."

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**Hmmm, so Rose is a bit feisty and defensive, but she can co-operate and be agreeable too. I wonder how that's going to work out?**

**Next chapter will be up tomorrow. :)**


	4. Chapter Three

**I'm not sure whether I'll get to my laptop tonight, so I'm posting the update a few hours early.**

**Chapter Three.**

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"Come on, man," Ivan's voice echoed through the phone I was holding up to my ear with my shoulder as I gritted my teeth and focused on the soup I was making. "You haven't been out in years. Going to a club for just one night won't kill you. You might even get laid-"

"Ivan!"

"What?" He laughed and I could just imagine him holding up his hands up jokingly. "The stress relief might stop you being so damn crabby all the ti-"

"IVAN!"

He laughed again. "You're such a spoilsport, Dimka."

I glared at the pot I was stirring. "Don't call me that. _She_ used to call me that and I can't stand the name."

"Dimka, Dimka, Dimka…"

"Stop it!"

"I will if you agree to come out tonight."

"Or, I could just hang up the phone and ignore you?"

He snorted. "I'm your best friend. You wouldn't do that to m-"

_Click._

I grinned as I placed the phone down on the countertop, and then continued to cook my soup.

I laughed loudly when Ivan called back five minutes later.

"That's not cool, man."

"But it was funny."

"Ha ha. For my revenge, I'm dragging you out, regardless of whether you want to go or not."

"But-"

"No buts! You need to get out! All you do is work, work, work."

I sighed. "You're not going to drop the issue, are you?"

"Nope," His voice was even more enthusiastic than before, and I groaned internally.

"_Fine_. I'll go tonight, and that's it."

I could hear the smug grin in his voice. "I'll be home in ten with the rest of the guys; make sure you set us some dinner too."

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"So… How are you feeling so far, grumpy?"

I rolled my eyes at Ivan's comment and drained the Russian vodka from my glass as my eyes scanned the bar. Adrian, Eddie, Mason and Ambrose were attempting to chat up a group of women, who seemed _mildly_ interested. Christian had pulled out, since his fiancée, Lissa, had been ill that day and taken a turn for the worse that evening.

"I want to go home. There are a pile of papers which I need to read through-"

"They'll still be there tomorrow. Don't get your knickers in a twist."

"Yes, but considering tonight is a total flop, my time would be better spent…"

My voice trailed off as a familiar figure entered the bar.

She was dressed in a red miniskirt, teamed with a black halter neck, flats, and patterned tights. This time, her hair was sleek and straight, and a red clutch purse was tucked under her arm. But what caught my attention wasn't the emphasis of her curvy body in those clothes; it was the upset concealed in her eyes.

"Dude, stop drooling." I jumped as Ivan poked me in the shoulder. "You need to play it cool if you want to tap that. She probably gets propositioned all the time, by royals who are further up the food chain than us. But, I thought that you weren't into dhamp chicks? After what happened with Ta-"

"I'm not!"

And just like that, my interest was gone and my bad mood was back.

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**Hehe, Ivan's one of my favourite characters and so much fun to write!**

**Who's your favourite minor character?**


	5. Chapter Four

**The chapters are starting to get a little longer now. :)**

******Chapter Four.**

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"Huh. You turned up."

I turned to meet Rose's slightly surprised expression.

"You sound surprised."

She shrugged. "I figured you'd change your mind, wanting to protect your reputation from the scorn of associating with a dhampir. Or, you know, being a moroi at that, who supports one."

"Or maybe…" I narrowed my eyes at her. "I'm not a judgemental and narrow minded bigot who only does things depending on how they'll affect his reputation."

Her eyes narrowed back at me, and internally, I grinned. I'd obviously hit a nerve, and it was about time someone put her in her place.

I was normally calm and even tempered, but the way she'd treated me from the start was out of order. I might not have been one of the most important royals and I didn't have any guardians, since it was only my mother's side of the family that were royalty – the Tarus line – but she should still show some respect.

"So now that you've been taken down a peg or two, and your head's out from a not so nice place, let's get down to business."

She scowled, but nodded in agreement, and placed her hand in the crook of my arm as I offered it to her, following the lessons my mother had taught me while I was growing up.

We walked together in silence for a little while, garnering a few double takes and strange looks from the people that we passed, but Rose's glare soon sent them packing.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere that we can talk without being gawped at like we're an exhibition or a science project."

"And where exactly is that somewhere?"

"My office."

"_Your_ _office_?"

Her tone of voice made me bristle, and I dropped her arm to stare down at her.

"Yes. _My_ _office_. Is there a problem with that?"

She began to open her mouth – to argue back, no doubt – but then stopped and shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's better than where other guys have offered to take me for much less scrupulous acts." She rolled her shoulders. "I need to stop being so damn defensive all the time, especially considering the fact that you're actually trying to help me."

My hackles lowered. "It's okay. And thank you for apologising. As for the reason why I'm taking you there, it makes what we're doing more professional, and your campaign is less likely to be slammed or attacked if it's done this way. If we'd talked in a café again, people might come to less… _pleasing_ conclusions about why I decided to help you."

"Things like?.."

"I'm sure you can figure it out. I don't like to use the terms that other people do when describing dhampirs in a negative light."

"You think they'd call me a blood whore?"

I flinched, but nodded. "Yes. And that would ruin the 'legitimacy' of your campaign in people's eyes. I don't want them to think that of either of us, and I don't want their snobby preconceptions to ruin all the hard work you've done so far."

She pursed her lips and watched me for a few moments as we began to walk again. "Why did you decide to help me?"

I thought about it for a few moments and then shrugged. "I'm not sure. I already have a lot to deal with, and I didn't think I'd have the time or energy to take on any new projects. Then, after the way you spoke to me I _definitely_ didn't want to help you. You were rude and snapped at me for no reason, and I knew it was better to stay away from someone like that."

Her voice was wry and amused when she responded. "What changed your mind then?"

I shrugged again. "Again, I'm not too sure. I couldn't get your words out of my head. A lot of what you'd said was true, and I figured that maybe if you had a moroi backing you up, a royal at that, maybe other people would start to take a little more notice."

She didn't answer, and when I turned to see why, her face had paled and she looked incredibly nervous.

"You're royal?"

"I'm not that well-known since it's my mother's side of the family that's royal, but yes, I am." My brow wrinkled as she wrung her hands anxiously.

"Shit. _Shit_! I'm sorry for what I said! I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, and I wouldn't have if I'd known that you were _royal_, I mean, I-"

"Hey, hey!" My hand lightly covered her mouth to stop her babbling. "Don't worry about it. The way you talk to me shouldn't depend upon my title," I scowled. "I hate it when people do that. You apologised, and that's fine with me. It was a simple mistake that anyone could have made."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts." I copied Ivan's words as I opened the door to the building I worked in. "Let's just focus on this project."

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**And even better, they're starting to reach an understanding. :)**


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five.**

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I groaned and rubbed at the bridge of my nose. "I can't think any more. Let's call it a day."

Rose rubbed at her eyes, which were slightly red, before she stood and stretched. My eyes widened a little as she did so, noting the way her chest was pushed out and her athletic figure was highlighted as she raised her arms above her head. She looked-

_Stop it! No dhampirs, remember?_

I groaned again, and stood up. "Is there anything you think we've missed or need to go over?" She shook her head. "Good, then let's _definitely_ call it a day."

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"So," Ivan's keen eyes observed me over the top of his coffee cup while he perched at the kitchen counter and waited for me to make dinner. "You've been hanging with that dhampir chick a lot."

I ignored him and focused on making sure the roast potatoes and chicken weren't burning.

"I thought you weren't interested."

"I'm not. Drop the issue, Ivan."

"I'm not bringing it up. I'm just making an observation."

I snorted. "No, you're making an issue out of nothing. _You_ keep bringing _Rose_ up."

"Well, _you're_ the one who keeps hanging out with her."

I gritted my teeth. "We are not 'hanging out'. We are working on her campaign to sa-"

"To '_save The Shadow Kissed Tree'_. Yeah, yeah, I know. You've said it a thousand times. Doesn't stop me from calling bullshit though. I know you, Dimitri, and you don't just take on causes like that for no reason. She got to you, now I want you to tell me why. Or how."

I sighed, knowing he wouldn't stop. "Do you remember everything I told you about our first meeting?"

He nodded and grinned. "She was feisty," At my glare he laughed. "And 'rude'."

"Yes, she got to me. Even though I know it's not true, certain things she said reminded me of _that_ night."

His face sobered up as realisation shone in his eyes. "The one when _she_ left?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Silence filled the kitchen for a few moments before he carried on. "But why would _that_ of all things make you want to _help_ her?"

I shrugged. Ivan was my best friend, the brother I'd never had, and had been since the day we were born, and I trusted him with my life. He'd been through the best and worst moments of my life with me, and I him, and I knew that anything I told him would be taken to his grave. "I guess…" I paused, struggling to force the words out. "In a way, even though she's not here anymore, it was my way of proving _her_ wrong. That I wasn't weak or dumb, and that I was good enough to defend myself and others."

He nodded. "You know what _she_ said isn't true, don't you? She was an evil, conniving little _bitch_ who should have been drowned at birth."

I chuckled at his words. "That's true, but as you kept telling me, it's also in the past. She's gone now, and like you also told me, I need to move on."

He threw his head back and laughed. "You edited what I said. I also told you that you needed to go out and get some pus-"

"Ivan!"

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**Hehe, I love Ivan! He's so cheeky!**


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six.**

**I'm not sure whether I'll have access to the internet tomorrow, so I'm posting this chapter early. Enjoy!**

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"Let's stop for a moment."

I glanced up from the notes I'd been studying intently, meeting Rose's large, hazel eyes. They had little flecks of gold, and chocolate brown, I noted, and then chastised myself for noticing.

"And do what?"

She studied me for a moment, pondering my question before she answered.

"Let's get to know each other better. We haven't really talked that much about anything other than this campaign. You've helped me to build a really strong case, one that they can't ignore. I'm sure we can take a few moments out of our day to actually get to know each other."

My brow wrinkled as I set the papers down and settled back in my chair. "What do you want to know? I'm pretty boring."

"This is an unofficial first question. What do you actually do for a living? You've mentioned a couple of times that you're not a high up royal, so I assume you don't live off of your family's wealth?"

"No, I don't. And even if I could, I wouldn't. I'm the CEO of this advertising firm. I also help my co-worker with one of his projects, and manage five charities, three of which are linked in to the human world. So they take up even more time and effort."

"Oh." She looked impressed, and I nodded, waiting to see what she'd come up with next. She grinned. "Okay, official, proper questions now. First off, is that blond hottie who sometimes pops his head in single?"

_That's her idea of a proper question?_

I bristled at the mention of Ivan, but shook it off, wondering why I was even bothered. "Yes, he is single."

"Is he gay?"

A smirk twisted at my lips. "No."

"Are you?"

My eyes bulged out of my head and my jaw dropped at her question. "_No_, I most definitely am not."

This time she smirked. "_Sure_. I'll take your word for it. What's the blond hottie's name?"

I raised an eyebrow. "If you want to know, go ask him." She glared at me for a moment and I chuckled. "His name is Ivan. If you could flirt with him and then cut him down at the last minute you'd be doing me a huge favour, his ego needs to be readjusted."

She laughed this time, and surprisingly, the sound made me smile too. It was so light and carefree, octaves above the deep, rumbling laughs of my friends. It was innocent, like those of my niece and nephew.

_Snap out of it, Dimitri!_

I coughed, and the relaxed atmosphere disappeared a little. "My turn."

"Wait, I have one more question! How old are you?"

"How old are _you_?"

"I asked first!"

"But it's my turn." She pouted a little and I sighed. "I'm thirty two. I turn thirty three on the first of December."

"Ah," She smiled. "I'll have to remember and get you a birthday card. "My birthday was on the thirty first of March. I just turned twenty six."

The shock was clear to see across my face. "You don't look that old."

She grinned widely. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." I smiled back tentatively. "Is it my turn now?"

She nodded in agreement. "Shoot."

"Okay," I asked the one question that had been bugging me ever since I met her. "How on Earth did you even get into this campaign?"

She shrugged. "I love biology. I'm a biology teacher and an avid wildlife protector. I set up this charity five years ago, on my twenty first birthday, and asked people to donate rather than to get me presents. When I heard that they were proposing to cut down the tree, I knew I couldn't stand by and let it happen."

"You- you're a teacher?"

She tried to raise one eyebrow and failed, making me chuckle despite my shock. "I usually get that reaction. Yes, I am a teacher and a guardian, and no, I'm not 'rude' to my students." She grinned. "I'm the cool teacher all the students like. Anyway, I teach here at court."

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**Awww, they're growing a little closer, hopefully they'll keep it up!**

**Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter. It lets me know that I'm on the right track with the storyline and how you guys feel about the way things are progressing.**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven.**

**How's everybody's weekend so far? I hope it's been a good one!**

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I'd learnt a lot about Rose over the past four months. Our petition was backed up by Ivan and a few other minor royals, and with their help, we gained enough signatures to make the Quorum listen to our appeal and reconsider. Now, we had to wait and see what they decided, and whether they would push through with making the statue.

Rose and I had grown closer, though we were both still fighting it. Well, I was, I had no idea how she felt. I'd been burned in the past, and I was reluctant to let another woman, especially a dhampir, in. Ivan teased me on a daily basis since Rose hadn't done as I'd asked, and kept hinting at what _he_ thought was going to happen.

Tonight, Rose and I were going out for dinner. Not on a date, mind you, simply to celebrate our success so far.

"Stop fretting, you look fine. She's not going to care what you're wearing, I've seen the way she looks at you, even when she comes round here to 'work on the campaign' and you're wearing that ugly-ass t-shirt and ratty sweats. Tonight, she's gonna want to jump your bones since you're picking her up, taking her to some fancy, overpriced restaurant, paying _and_ not going to try anything on because you're 'too much of a gentleman to do so'."

I continued to ignore Ivan as he lounged back on my bed and I re-did my tie for the fifth time that evening. "Have you got protection? Is she on the pill? I know you're conscious about all that stuff, but hell, you could do with going bareback. No worrying about remembering to put stuff on, just some good, hard, drain you dry _fucking_ is what you need. Don't worry, I'll make myself scarce. I'm sure some of the lovely ladies in my little black book wouldn't mind a late night hook up."

"I really wish Rose had deflated your ego. Then I wouldn't have to put up with your crass comments. 'drain you dry fucking', really?"

He grinned. "It is what it is. I'm talking about those times when you give absolutely everything, and afterwards, hell, you don't even remember afterwards. You just pass straight out from the force of it-"

"Okay, okay!" I screwed up my face and shoved my fingers in my ears. "Even though I'm a guy I've heard enough. _Nothing_ is going to happen between Rose and I. We are just… friends, if you can call it that. Nothing more, nothing less, and we won't become anything more. Understand?"

He smirked. "I think the lady doth protest too much."

"You-" My words cut off as I looked for something to throw at him. When that failed – there was nothing big and heavy enough to throw that would satisfy me, like a bowling ball - I settled for literally tackling him and hitting whatever I could reach.

"Hey! I'll tell your mama that you're bullying me!"

I snorted and then pushed him off of the bed. "Then shut up about Rose!"

"_Fine_." He slapped my hands away and stood up, his chest heaving. "But answer me this. Do you really feel nothing but friendship towards Rose? Do you honestly not want to at least try and build something more with her?" I stared at him, not knowing what to say. "Damn it, Dimitri, you're my best friend. You're my brother, but sometimes you are an _idiot_, and the worst thing is that you won't even admit it to yourself! You can't tell me that you don't miss being in a relationship. You were always the guy who was going to meet the right girl, settle down, get married and have kids. You always _wanted_ to be that guy. Yes, Tasha screwed you over. She's not here anymore, Dimitri! Why are you letting that bitch still rule and ruin your life? Why is she still holding you back? Rose is the best thing that's happened to you in the past ten years, so why the _fuck_ are you letting her slip away?"

* * *

**Ivan was cheeky as ever, but also tough in this chapter. The question is, will it pay off? Maybe Rose'll knock some sense into Dimitri's head. :D**

**Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter. It lets me know that I'm on the right track with the storyline and how you guys feel about the way things are progressing.**


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed so far. Hopefully some of your questions are answered with this chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Thank you… for agreeing to come here instead."

"You sounded upset and stressed, it was the least I could do." Rose rested her hand on my arm and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. "It was my pleasure. Thank you for making such a wonderful dinner."

I smiled. "Thank you for enjoying it. Ivan usually complains when I make something fancy, and then gobbles it down like he's starving."

"You two live together?"

I nodded. "Yes, but before you go jumping to any conclusions, _no_, we're not a couple." I shuddered. We'd been asked that far too many times. "He's my best friend, and since we're both single and we work together, it was beneficial for us to live together. And according to our mother's, it means I 'get out' and he actually eats properly. It's a win-win situation."

Rose giggled as I picked up our glasses and then led her into the front room.

"And where is he tonight?"

I shook my head. "Out somewhere seducing and charming his way into the pants of some poor, unsuspecting woman."

"Looks like I chose the right one then."

"Pardon?" Rose's voice had been a slight mumble, and though her words made me want to smile, I was also wary.

"Nothing." She blushed a little and dropped my gaze as I motioned for her to sit down.

"But that's not the main reason why I asked you to come here tonight. I need to explain- finish explaining some things to you, Ivan helped me to realise that."

I handed Rose her glass and then joined her on the sofa. I'd promised to tell her what had happened, to finish the story, and I always kept my promises.

I swallowed down a big mouthful of my wine as she made herself comfortable, slipping her feet out of the slippers I'd lent her and tucking her feet underneath her body as she curled up, glass in hand.

"Where did I get up to over dinner?"

"The day your fiancée left."

"Oh." I swallowed thickly and concentrated on breathing deeply as I assembled my thoughts.

"So what happened?"

"A lot." I laughed humourlessly and my hands clenched into fists as memories of that night flickered through my mind.

_Natasha's big reveal._

_The truth about our 'baby'._

_Yelling and screaming._

_Clothes being thrown into a bag._

_Her new man showing up, and the two of them leaving together._

_Tears._

_Heartache._

_Anger._

_Betrayal._

_And then three days later… two sombre guardians arriving where I worked to inform me that they were both dead. _

"Holy shit, she did all that to you?" A hand touched my back lightly, and I blinked, realising that I wasn't in a crummy hotel room ten years ago, but in my front room. With Rose, not Natasha. "Now I understand why you have such big trust issues. But why would she do that… go through all of that? Y'know, try to deceive you so much?"

I breathed in deeply before I turned to face her. "I think that in a way, she _did_ want to have a baby with me. And I think that she didn't know how to break the news about the miscarriage to me, because _I_ wanted it so badly."

My breathing equalised and slowed as Rose rubbed my back a little, and I forced my tense muscles to relax.

"Sorry. Talking about Natasha and what happened is one thing I can't always handle." Tears stung at my eyes as the betrayal ran through my mind, taunting me as she had, and I shrugged Rose's comforting hand off as I stood and grabbed the empty wine bottle. "But now you know what happened. How I was tricked. Why I don't really trust women – dhampir women especially."

* * *

**Poor Dimitri. :'( Who else would want to beat Tasha to a pulp if she wasn't already dead?**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine.**

**Wow, thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! I had an exam earlier, and then seeing all those emails when I got to my laptop afterwards really brightened up my day.**

**As thanks, here's an early update :) **

**Tasha hater – Hehe, I'm glad you liked it! :D**

**ClauILoveDimitriBelikov – thanks sweetie, and no worries. You'll hear a little of Rose's thoughts in this chapter.**

**Let's see if Dimitri lets Rose in even more…**

* * *

"Dimitri?" Rose's voice was soft, tentative as she entered the kitchen, where I was taking out my frustration on the washing up.

"Yes, Rose?" My voice was tense, and she hesitated before moving to stand by my side.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you into revealing so much so fast."

I breathed in deeply and focused on scrubbing at a stubborn burn on the casserole dish. "It's not your fault. I know my limits. I shouldn't have listened to Ivan."

"And why the hell not?" Her voice was angry, and I glanced up I surprise. "Maybe it was the right thing for you to do. Have you told anyone else about what happened?"

"He made me go and see a therapist a few months after it happened."

"And how did that work out for you?"

I shrugged. "Not much really happened. We talked it all through, and I got fed up with wasting my money. There was no point in continuing with it - after a year of sessions, they came to the same conclusions that I had after two weeks."

"Have you talked to anyone else?"

"I talk to Ivan about it."

"How often?" Her eyes were challenging and my resolve crumbled a little.

"In the year or so after it happened, a lot. But then," I shrugged. "I felt like it wasn't doing me any good. It just kept bringing up bad feelings and memories that I wanted to forget."

"Ivan was right with what he said to me the other day."

That caught my attention. "What did he say?"

"Amongst other things, that you're an idiot. Talking to people other than your best friend will help you, Dimitri. _That's_ why you had a big freak out earlier, because it was the first time all of your defences were down and you had nothing to hide behind. You were vulnerable and open, like you were with Natasha," I flinched, and her eyes grew even angrier. "That's what I'm talking about! You can't even bear to hear her goddamned name. If you'd faced up to your feelings six years ago when she pulled all that shit, you wouldn't be reacting this way now!"

Rose finished her little tirade as I stared at her wide eyed, and then her expression softened. "We're both very similar. "I'm defensive because I don't want people to get too close. I don't want to be seen as vulnerable. You, you're closed off because you _are_ vulnerable and you don't want to be hurt again."

My hands trembled, and I shoved them back into the sink, covering them with hot, soapy water as my mind fought to deal with Rose's words.

"Ivan put you up to this, didn't he?" She didn't respond, and that answered my question. I laughed bitterly. "So much for friendship. He still thinks that I need to be spoon fed and tiptoed around like I'm going to jump off of a cliff."

"That's not true! He's worried and he cares about you. He's your best friend-"

"Why are you here, Rose? Why invite me to dinner? Ivan knows he can ask me anything; and you… why lure me in under false pretences?"

"Because maybe Ivan's at a dead end and he felt that you needed to get this off of your chest! Apparently, I'm the first woman, barring those in your family, who you've spoken to about something other than work!"

My head spun and I gritted my teeth. That was a low blow. "This was a mistake. Even agreeing to help you was a mistake." I felt like I couldn't breathe in deeply enough, and something in my chest twisted at the hurt across Rose's features. "Get out."

* * *

***hides* Don't come after me with pitchforks and burning torches, please? I promise things are going to get better. You have to hit rock bottom to go up, don't you?**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten.**

**Lots of conflicting views on the scene between Dimitri and Rose, it seems. Hopefully this'll put a smile on your faces!**

* * *

"Are you going to talk to Rose again?"

I gritted my teeth as I finished chopping and dicing vegetables and moved on to dicing up a lamb shoulder as Ivan tried to engage me in conversation once again.

"I've already told you, Ivan. Yes, I will talk to Rose. We're still working together on the tree campaign."

He sighed. "You know that's not what I meant."

_Silence._

"Dimitri."

"_What_, Ivan?"

"Answer my question."

"You didn't ask one." I was being stubborn and petty, we both knew it, but he didn't call me out on it. Instead he just sighed and stood up.

"I'm not sitting around here and pandering to you, Dimitri. You're always telling me to grow up – you should take your own advice. The girl likes you, and you kicked her out. _I _convinced her to do it, and do you want to know why?" When I didn't answer, but just continued to watch him, he clenched his fists. "Because you opened up to her. Despite everything you said in the past about not wanting to be with a dhampir again, you _liked_ her, and with the way you've been moping for the past few days, you still do. And damn it but she likes you too. So stop being an ass!"

Now I know what my mother meant when she said I was as stubborn as a mule. Ivan's words had conflicting effects – they make me want to fall back into our easy, relaxed routine, and, at the same time, they made me feel even stronger in my convictions. _They should have told me._

"Dimitri." He waited, and when I didn't respond he sighed. "We're best friends. You can at least talk to me. Yell, rant, vent, whatever. But don't leave me like this. It's not fair."

"Not fair?" I snorted and turned to face him, my eyes flashing. "Not fair? _Life_ isn't fair, Ivan. I'm pissed off and I deserve to be upset. So screw you!"

I expected him to get angry at my comment and to storm out or yell back at me, but instead he cracked a grin. "It's about damn time you let off some steam. Feel better?"

I paused, and then laughter bubbled up in my chest. "You're crazy. You manipulative, idiotic, son of a-"

I was cut off by Ivan bursting into laughter. "Good! It's about time you got rid of that stick up your ass. I never thought I'd see you get angry or swear at me again! You became so damn straight laced after everything the witch with a 'b' did to you, I thought you'd forgotten how to let loose. It's a good thing you met Rose. You should keep her around. I like her."

He laughed once more and started to walk out of the kitchen as I shook my head and went back to preparing the dinner.

But his mumbled words made me freeze.

"You should marry her."

* * *

"You over your hissy fit now?"

I jumped at Rose's rather… _abrupt_ hello, and turned around.

"Yes, you. Are you done? Over your little rant? Stopped feeling like 'poor little me, the whole world is against me'? Ready to put on your big boy undies again?"

I huffed and went back to what I was doing – stapling up posters. "I should have stayed at home."

"And miss my pretty face?" Rose laughed behind me and then patted my back. "You know you can't resist me, Comrade."

"Comrade?"

She laughed again, and then bumped my hip with hers as she grabbed some more posters. "Yep. It's your nickname, so get used to hearing it."

I shrugged, but grinned internally. "Just don't get mad if I call you Rosie Posie."

_Ouch_.

I almost burned under the heat of her glare. "Call me that again, and I can guarantee that you won't be having any kids in the future – near or far. Understood?" I nodded frantically and she smiled. "Good."

* * *

**Is that better? :D Things take a huge turn in the next few chapters, so get ready to enjoy the ride. It's gonna be awesome!**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven.**

**I almost forgot to post this update with all my thoughts about my exam later today. Luckily I remembered as I was getting into bed, so here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ivan!"

He laughed from the front room, and then continued to ignore me.

"_Ivan_! Get over here or I swear I won't make dinner for a mo-" He was by the front door before I'd even finished making my threat.

"What the hell is this?" I pointed to the thick card I'd just opened, covered in elegant flowing script while he adopted his 'duh' face.

"It's an invite. People use them to-"

"I know what it is and why it's used! Don't be a smartass. Why am I invited to Priscilla Voda's Annual 'Fundraiser'? You know I hate those things!" My voice was a whine. "It's tonight! And I don't have – _or want_ – a date. You know how naggy she gets when people turn up without… a… partner…" My words slowed and trailed off at the glint in his eyes.

_Deep breaths, Dimitri. Don't kill your best friend. Don't kill your best friend. _Don't_ kill your best friend._

"You set this up, didn't you?" He grinned and I groaned. "You're an ass, and I hate you."

"No you don't, and you're gonna love me even more after you find out who your date is." I eyed him for a moment, and then horror covered my features as I realised why he was so happy about it.

"You son of a-"

"You love my mum, so don't say that… _Comrade_."

"Fu-"

He mock slapped me. "Watch your mouth or I'll wash it out with soap and water. Now go and get ready. Your date will be here in half an hour. And she's going to look sexy as hell, so you better not let her down."

* * *

"He's throwing a strop. One minute."

Ivan's voice was apologetic and giggles sounded down the hallway as Ivan stomped towards my bedroom and slammed the door open and shut before entering.

"Get your ass up."

I groaned in protest into my pillow and clutched at the headboard as he tugged on my ankles.

"I'm not going, Ivan! Go away!"

"No!" His voice was a grunt as he tried to pull me off of the bed. "Rose is here to escort you and she looks h- really nice. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting, Dimitri."

"She's not a lady. She's an evil bully."

"That's not a very nice thing to say, even if it is mumbled into your pillow." Feminine laughter sounded inside of my room and my head snapped up towards the sound.

_Woah_.

"I told you she looked good."

Good was an understatement. She looked beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, sexy… Heat flooded my cheeks as Ivan burst into laughter and Rose giggled, and I realised that I'd spoken my thoughts out loud.

"I think you can deal with him, Rose. I highly doubt that he wouldn't want to escort such a _stunning_ and _sexy_ lady to a fundraiser like this. You might even be able to find some more sponsors or people to invest in your cause."

I sighed heavily at the underlying blackmail, and slowly stood up. "You owe me _big_ for this."

He laughed and slipped out of the door. "No, _Rose_ does. Maybe she can repay you in a more… _beneficial_ way."

* * *

**Please keep your fingers crossed for me and send me some good luck for my exam! If it goes well I'll update again afterwards, so you'll get two updates in one day, rather than just one! :)**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve.**

**Thanks for the good luck wishes guys. I think they paid off, so here's the early update as promised.**

**Let's see how things are going…**

* * *

I couldn't help my gaze from slipping over to rest on Rose's form as we travelled to the fundraiser. Despite it being held here at court, within walking distance, Priscilla insisted upon sending cars to pick up each of the guests.

So Rose and I had a little time to talk.

"You do look beautiful."

_Yeah, real smooth, Dimitri. Not._

Rose smiled and rested her hand on top of mine. "Thank you."

"I mean- you look more than nice-"_ Shut up, Dimitri. You're just digging an even bigger hole for yourself! _"I mean- you- you look-" I sighed and scrubbed at my face. "Forget I even said anything else. You look really… pretty."

I cringed as the words left my mouth. Had it really been that long since I'd last spoken to a woman that I couldn't even pay her a compliment without sounding like an idiot? Evidently, yes.

But it was true. Rose wasn't dressed in a typical ball gown. In fact, she wasn't in a ball gown at all. She was wearing a royal blue, halter neck cocktail dress that was backless and emphasised her curves in all the right places. The skirt was ruched and flowed over her wide hips perfectly. There was slight decoration around the waist, and she had on plain black heels and some big jewellery to match.

It all seemed to just… fit, and my palms itched as I fought the urge to pull her into my arms.

_You need to stop listening to Ivan._

"Did Ivan prepare you for any of what's going to happen?"

Rose laughed. "I've been a guardian here at court for close to eight years now, Dimitri. I mean, _Lord Belikov_. I understand how they're run and what's expected of me."

I chuckled at the lofty tone to her voice. "With that type of dress, I'm not sure that you do."

"And what's that supposed to mean? My dress isn't acceptable?"

I smirked and she laughed. "You know it isn't. The old biddies will have a heart attack when you walk in."

She snorted. "They'll have a heart attack simply from the fact that I'm walking in with you, not as someone taking over a guarding shift. The dress will just give them an excuse."

* * *

"It's like walking through court all over again."

Rose giggled at my murmur and tucked her arm into mine more securely. "Except when we did that people were more discrete about their staring. You'd think they'd get over the fact that you've got a dhampir as your date, but nope, they keep rubbing their eyes and double checking as though it's an illusion.

"And the fact that when our arrival was introduced, the Master of Ceremonies stumbled and didn't know whether to say Lady, or Guardian, or Lady Guardian."

Rose giggled, and I smiled. I hadn't stopped smiling all evening, and didn't even protest when she tugged me towards the dance floor.

"Just a little forewarning. I'm a _terrible_ dancer."

She grinned and unlinked our arms so that she could tow me forwards by my hand, before turning back to wink at me. "No worries. The moves I'm planning on don't require much more than for you to wiggle your hips a little. Just move as though we're fucking and you'll be fine. Let's really shock these oldies."

* * *

***shakes head* Rose is just as bad as Ivan with some of her crazy ideas and comments! I wonder what the 'oldies' will have to say about their **_**dancing**_**?.. ;)**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen.**

**Yay! We broke 100 reviews. Thank you! :)**

Thank you Gabby for your question reminding me about the pictures.

**If you want to see outfits for the story – such as Rose's dress for the fundraiser etc as they're revealed in the chapters, either keep an eye on my profile for the links, or go to facebook and have a look at the album I've got up there!**

**Thank you for all the well wishes on my exam. I think it went okay. Just one more to go and then I'm done.**

**Let's see how their 'dancing' went. ;)**

* * *

Rose laughed at the glares we received from the more 'respectful' royals as she followed through with what she'd said. Regardless of whether it was classical or jazz, fast or slow, Rose simply twined her hands around my neck and danced 'against' me. Grinding was the more appropriate word, but was completely inappropriate, and the more I tried to stop her, the more it seemed to spur her on.

"Rose," I gritted my teeth and prayed that she'd stop rubbing herself up against my body, otherwise I was going to have a big problem. "Please."

"Please what, Comrade?" She laughed lightly and stepped forwards as I stepped back. "If you want me to stop, you're going to have to _beg_."

Heat flooded through my body and I had to bite my tongue to silence the moan that built up in my throat.

"Ro-"

"Shhhh." She giggled and held a finger up to my lips, before toning down her dancing style a little, so that her hands rested on my shoulders and mine on her hips. "Is this better?"

I smiled and pulled her a little closer, so that I could rest my chin on the top of her head, and one of her hands trailed down to rest on my chest.

"How's that?"

I couldn't see her face, but her fingers tightened and curled into my shirt.

"Much better."

* * *

I felt incredibly relaxed. Roza's arms were round my neck, with her fingertips twined into the ends of my hair as I held her close. My hands traced small patterns across the exposed skin of her lower back as she sighed and moved a little closer as we swayed to the music.

I felt… at peace, and I understood why Ivan had pushed me towards Rose so many times.

My arms tightened around her waist a little more, and she smiled against my chest.

"Dimitri?"

"Yes?"

"Are you trying to cop a feel?"

I chuckled. "No, Roza."

She lifted her head to stare at me, her forehead wrinkling up in confusion. "What did you just call me?"

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to figure it out, and laughed as she scowled. "_Roza_. It's your name in Russian."

"Oh." She thought about it for a minute, and then rested her head back against my chest. "I like when you say it. It sounds nice. _Roza_."

* * *

The fundraiser was close to ending, and Rose and I were still on the dance floor.

We'd left a few times to talk with other royals, managing to mention our campaign and our need for more support discretely, and a few of the younger moroi had seemed interested in helping out. Probably because it would be good for their image, but any help was better than none.

And now we were back to slow dancing.

My breath caught as Roza tilted her face up slightly, her large hazel eyes boring into mine.

"I think it's time to head home," My voice was a whisper, and Roza nodded, but her arms tightened around my neck, pulling my face a little closer to hers.

"There's just one more thing that I need to do." Her breath fanned across my face as I leant in a little more, and my hand lifted to cup her cheek as she pushed up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine.

* * *

**Oooohhhh. So things have taken **_**that**_** kind of turn. You all know what's coming next... ;)**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen.**

**Not much to say except that things are getting a little hot under the collar. ;)**

* * *

"Roza," My voice was a soft moan as Roza pushed me up against the wall and then pulled my head down to hers.

_Gasps had echoed around the room as we'd kissed, and we'd broken apart to find the majority of the moroi upper class staring at us with unadulterated horror, while a few of the younger members looked on wistfully._

_And Roza had simply shrugged, laughed, and kissed me again._

My hands clutched at Roza's hips as she moaned lightly and pulled me closer, before we moved from the shelter of the building and continued to walk through court.

Well, we stumbled our way, stopping to kiss, or rather, kissing and stopping to walk every few minutes.

"Where are we going?" My voice was a little confused as Roza suddenly broke away and started tugging me along insistently. "Why did you stop?" She laughed at the sulky tone to my voice, and continued to pull me along.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Her tone was seductive and I didn't argue further as she pulled me along. Her hands felt so right in mine, slightly calloused from her training and work outs, yet so small and delicate compared to my larger ones. That was Roza all over though. Petite and precious, tiny in stature but big in personality.

I grinned when her hand tightened in mine and she smiled up at me, and then began to recognise our surroundings.

"You're taking me to our tree?"

_Our tree?_

I didn't know when I'd started to think of it like that, but smiled to myself. The name was perfect. It was _our_ tree, it was what had led to us being together tonight. And my stomach clenched a little as I realised that Roza did intend for us to be _together_ tonight.

"Won't somebody see us?" _Or hear us?_

Roza must have felt my hesitancy because she slowed her pace and looked up at me. "Did we pass anyone on the way here, Dimitri?"

"No."

She grinned. "If no one passed us when we were walking through the centre of court then they're definitely not going to come across us out here. It's the middle of the day, Comrade. Everyone's either asleep or heading home from that stupid fundraiser."

"But what about other gu-"

She cut me off by pressing her fingertips to my lips, and then giggling when I kissed them.

"Guardian's don't patrol this area during the day. So we have nothing to worry about."

My inhibitions melted away as Roza stretched up onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine softly, a light moan echoing from her chest as I pulled her closer and tangled my fingers into her hair. Our hands roamed each other's body, mine skimming across the exposed skin of Roza's dress until I found her zipper as she tugged and popped the buttons of my shirt.

"Are you…" My voice trailed off as Roza succeeded in getting rid of my shirt, and then stepped out of my reach, as she motioned for me to sit down.

"Yes." Her voice was light and breathy, and then her lips were back on mine, silencing any further protests in me. I fumbled with her zipper, eventually breaking away from her lips so I could focus a little more clearly, and she focused her attention elsewhere. Her mouth trailed hot, wet kisses down and across my chest as she pushed me onto my back, and then straddled my waist, her long dark hair falling forwards to shield our faces from the outside world.

"I want you, Dimitri." My trousers tightened even further and I swallowed heavily as her gaze raked over my face and chest before she guided my hands up to the knot that held the straps of her dress together. "Don't be scared, Comrade." My hands shook, but a smile pulled at my lips at the familiar nickname.

"It's hard not to. I'm going against something that I drilled into my head time and time again."

"I know. But it's time for you to move on. I need this, and you definitely need this." Roza's voice was soft and she lifted her hands above her head as my hands slid up her thighs, stroking her soft skin and gathering the silky dress material so I could pull it off of her.

_Wow_. I felt like a teenager again as I gawked at Roza's almost naked body. She was perfection. Smooth, tanned skin, a tiny waist, wide hips and a generous cleavage. I wanted to touch her, and gaze at her and do everything I possibly could all at the same time. My hands lifted on their own accord to cup Roza's breasts, my thumbs circling her dark nipples as she moaned and arched her back, her body demanding more.

My lips closed around one nipple, teasing her with my tongue and teeth as my fingers played with the other, softly squeezing and tugging on the sensitive peak as Roza squirmed and ground her hips into mine.

Finally, she pulled on my hair sharply, lifting my face up to meet hers.

Her eyes were lidded with desire; her cheeks flushed as she stared at me, and then cupped my face in her hands.

"I want you. _Now_."

* * *

**Thoughts?**

**It's gonna carry on for the next couple chapters, so prepare yourselves… ;) I'm heading to bed now but will give you guys an early update tomorrow followed by the usual one in the evening. :)**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Chapter Fifteen.**

**Huge thanks to Little-Angry-Kitten for all the pep talks and WC's when I was writing and freaking out because I hadn't written a lemon for a few months. It's all thanks to her that I didn't scrap this one, so thank you!**

**Hehe, it seems the way into your hearts is with a lemon! ;D So here's some more for you!**

* * *

Roza was underneath me, her legs wrapped around my waist tightly as we kissed and rubbed against each other. She used her feet to push at the waist of my trousers, as her hands gripped at my shoulders until I pulled back.

"Wait," I panted and moaned as I rifled through my pockets, and then pulled away from Roza to search through my wallet frantically as my hopes fell. "I don't have any protection."

My eyes met Rose's, and disappointment crossed her features. "I don't have any either. I never carry condoms. But I'm on the pi-"

Her voice cut off as I pressed my lips to hers again, and our mouths opened, tongues touching and exploring as we moaned and tugged at each other's clothes. "Ro- oh God…" My voice trailed off as she palmed me through the front of my trousers, and she whimpered as my lips trailed down her neck.

"Just fuck me, Dimitri. _Please_."

"No." I pulled away from her body and stared down at her, my chest heaving rapidly as I stroked her cheek softly. "No, Roza." My voice was soft as I lowered my head again and pressed soft, feather light kisses to her swollen lips. "I'm not going to 'fuck' you like you're some cheap… slut that I picked up in a club and don't respect. You deserve much, much more than that." Roza's breath hitched and her body trembled as I tilted her face up so that my eyes could meet hers. "I'm going to make love to you, Roza. Like you and I both deserve."

_This_ was perfect.

"Dimitri," Roza's voice was soft as we removed our final pieces of clothing with soft, tender touches, and I sighed as he hands traced over my chest as we laid down facing each other. "Do you want this? I mean, really want this? I can deal with you just wanting to get laid, but I don't want you to feel pressured or force-"

My lips cut off her worries as I kissed her lightly, and then pressed soft pecks to her chin, cheeks and forehead.

"I'm not using this as 'stress relief', and I'm not doing it just so that I can get laid. I… care about you, Roza, and I do want this, if you do too."

She smiled at me, and then reached out to brush the hair off of my face. "I do."

I smiled, and then we reached for each other, soft gasps escaping from her throat as we drew closer to each other, our chests pressed up against each other, bare skin on bare skin.

My hands carefully explored the soft skin of her neck, her shoulder, her waist, deliberately avoiding where she wanted me most until she was panting and shaking, her hips rubbing against mine frantically as her legs wrapped around my waist.

I pulled back, allowing my fingers to trail down her body until I reached her slick heat, and her back arched as my fingers pierced her slightly, before teasing and circling around her clit. My hands were shaky, but that only seemed to improve the sensations running through Roza's body, and as she cried out for more, her nails digging into my wrist as she tried to get me to give her what she wanted, my nerves eased and my confidence grew.

"Roza," Her eyes fluttered shut and a ragged gasp broke from her chest as my fingers entered her fully, fascination covering my features as she began to rock her hips in time with the movements of my hand.

"Dim-" Her movements stopped, and then her hips jerked as she cried out; her walls clamping down around my fingers before a blissful expression covered her features.

I continued to tease Roza with my fingers until her breathing evened out, and then kissed her lips softly. "Was that okay?"

Her eyes shot open and locked with mine as she smiled. "That was amazing." Then she tugged on my shoulders. "But this time, I want _you_."

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**One more update to come today which will be posted late tonight.**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Chapter Sixteen.**

* * *

My breath caught as Roza laid back again, this time pulling me to lie between her legs as she did so. My arms trembled as I lowered my chest to hers, and erection pressed against her stomach before I pulled back a little and felt my tip brush against her entrance.

"Dimitri," Roza's fingers cupped my cheek and then firmly tilted my face up so that I met her eyes. "You're overthinking it again. Don't. It's just me."

My nerves showed themselves as the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I know, but I haven't had sex for so long, and I want it to be good for you too-"

"Dimitri." Roza covered my mouth with her hand this time. "It doesn't matter. It'll be good for me, because it's with you. Just enjoy it. Enjoy us being together."

Her voice was soft, and I smiled when her lips touched mine as her fingers twined into the ends of my hair.

"Just relax."

The soothing tone to her voice helped me do just that, and excitement coiled in the pit of my stomach as her legs lifted to wrap around my waist, the heels of her feet pushing my hips closer to hers as I slipped inside of her.

A ragged pant left my lips as Roza's walls contracted around me as I entered her fully, my hips meeting hers before I pulled back out again, revelling in the sensations coursing through my body as I thrust into her deeply.

"Oh… Dimitri," Small moans escaped Roza's lips as she clutched at my shoulders and I kissed her neck tenderly.

Her hips began to rock against mine, tentatively as her fingers threaded into the ends of my hair and I groaned against her soft skin. "Don't stop, that feels…"

My voice trailed off as her leg lifted to wrap around my waist, and I slid further into her tight heat, her walls contracting around me as I rocked my hips against hers.

My breathing quickened and sweat beaded up on both of our bodies as we moved together, Rose matching the thrusts of my hips with her own, her nails digging into my back and spurring me on whenever I slowed the pace or tried to be gentler.

"Don't hold back. _Fuck_." Her head dug back into the ground as she bit down on her lips and then tightened her hold around my waist. "I'm so fucking close, Comrade." Her voice was urgent and needy as she suddenly loosened her hold before pushing my left arm out of the way.

"What are y-" My eyes widened as she wriggled a little and then lifted her right leg so that it was hooked over my shoulder. "_Oh_." This position opened her up for me even more, allowing me to thrust forwards until I was inside of her fully. I throbbed inside of her, and I held my breath, willing my body to hold on until Roza was ready to come too. I wasn't going to be selfish and come before her. Never.

"Touch my-" Roza's words cut off as I kissed her softly, my free hand slipping between our bodies to tease at her sensitive nub, drawing light circles as I teased her body and she began to squirm, her hips bucking erratically as I sped up my thrusts, driving into her body as deeply as I could.

"Dim-" Roza's breathing cut off as her walls clamped down and convulsed around me, her nails digging into the skin of my back almost painfully as she let out a short gasp, and I came undone, my orgasm rolling through me like a wave as I yelled my contentment to the forest around us. Stars exploded behind my eyelids as I released, Roza's walls tightening around me as I did so as she continued to rock her hips, helping me to ride out my orgasm until I slumped down, spent and dazed, against her body.

* * *

**How's that? Are you satisfied for now? ;) **


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen.**

I'm not sure if I'm going to get another chapter up tomorrow before the final posting time. I have another exam and I really have no idea what I'm doing for it so I need to revise like crazy. If possible, I will update, but if not, then you won't get another update for a week or so.

**We aren't allowed to update from the 15****th**** until the voting period has ended and the winners have been announced. **Please check out the other entries, here**: h t t p :/ mandy52799 (dot) blogspot (dot) co (dot) uk/2012/04/ vampire-academy-banner-bunnies-contest (dot) h t m l **and when the time comes, vote for your favourite fic and the ones that you feel deserve to win in each category.** The authors have put a lot of time and effort into their entries, so we'd all highly appreciate it if you took the time to go and vote.**

**Comrade – **Hehe, she definitely is! And I hope that he will start taking charge! ;) And hehe, trust me, that little session was more than enough to make him realise just how lucky he is now! :) Thanks for reviewing!

* * *

"Shhh." I tenderly tucked a lock of Roza's hair behind her ear as she smiled up at me and tried to straighten out her clothes. She looked so beautiful – messy hair, rumpled dress, my jacket wrapped around her shoulders to hide the scratch marks from the twigs on the ground and a glow in her eyes – that I couldn't help myself from leaning down to kiss her softly again, relishing in the way her mouth immediately opened up for mine, her hands fisting into the front of my shirt as she teased me with light flicks from her tongue and nibbled on my lower lip. I smiled against her lips, my hands reaching out to pull her in against my chest as her head tilted and I kissed her more deeply before we broke apart, our chests heaving. "Ivan should be asleep, but we have to make as little noise as possible. The man snores like chainsaw, but he sleeps extremely lightly. I really don't want him to catch us like this," I glanced at her apologetically. "I'm not ashamed, but I'll never hear the end of it if he does."

Roza giggled and nodded, her small hand slipping into mine as I unlocked the front door and took a few steps in, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear before I turned to motion for her to come in too.

"I know that look," I stopped dead in my tracks at Ivan's words and span around to find him stood in the doorway of the front room. "You are so _busted_. What time do you call this?"

"I- I-"

He smirked. "Don't even try it, Belikov. Grass stains on your trousers, your shirt is wrinkled and one step away from being called a rag. Your hair is messed beyond belief, your lips are all swollen like you've been sucking face for hours on end, you have hickeys all over your neck _and_ you're grinning like a fool who just had the best sex of his life. I'm gonna call bullshit on whatever excuse you try to come up with, so don't even bother."

Then he grinned widely and sprinted past me, towards the kitchen. "I'm gonna ring and tell your mama! You'll never hear the end of it!"

I froze, my face contorted in horror, and then took advantage of him being gone to usher Roza inside and point her down the hall towards my room.

"And Dimitri?"

"Yes?" I sighed Ivan stopped me from following after her.

"I'm not stupid. I know you snuck Rose in." Small, strong arms slipped around my waist as the body they were attached to pressed up against my back. I smiled and relaxed at her touch, and Ivan noticed, his eyes lighting up and a smirk painting his lips as he finished speaking. "Do I need to wear my earplugs?"

Until Rose spoke, that is. Her voice was seductive, and enticing, and I had to bite down on my lip at her words. "I think you will, Ivan. You see… I don't have any pyjamas here," Her hands began to slip down my stomach towards the waistband of my trousers, and a low whine slipped from between my teeth as Rose giggled lightly. "Unless you're a kinky bastard who likes to listen in on other people."

**Hehe, so Rose put Ivan in his place. :D**

**See you guys soon! And please, please, please, vote when the time comes!**

**h t t p :/ mandy52799 (dot) blogspot (dot) co (dot) uk/2012/04/ vampire-academy-banner-bunnies-contest (dot) h t m l**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen.**

So I gave up on revision and focused back on this story since we still have a few hours before the deadline. After this one there really won't be another update until the voting period has ended and the winners have been announced.

**Please check out the other entries, here: h t t p :/ mandy52799 (dot) blogspot (dot) co (dot) uk/2012/04/ vampire-academy-banner-bunnies-contest (dot) h t m l and when the time comes, vote for your favourite fic and the ones that you feel deserve to win in each category. The authors have put a lot of time and effort into their entries, so we'd all highly appreciate it if you took the time to go and vote.**

**Comrade – **You're very welcome. I always do my best to respond to reviews. If you can take the time to give me feedback, I can take the time to respond. :) Yep, that was the plotline that came to mind when I was assigned my banner, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hehe, when it comes to Ivan I don't even know where to start. He's the polar opposite of Dimitri, but that's why their friendship works, and it's just good fortune that he and Rose get along rather than to butt heads, lol. You got Rose's character exactly! And LOL! Well, unfortunately we won't be hearing about that yet, maybe there'll be a flashback, but Ivan definitely did wear his earplugs that night… ;)

* * *

I frowned as I looked through the reports Ivan had placed on my desk that morning. It seemed like everyone was pulling their support from small charities which survived almost solely on donations. We'd lost half of our major contributors this past month, and a third of those we had left had lowered their donations considerably.

People claimed that they needed to tighten their belts, and I knew that in the human world it was true, they were going through an economic recession, but here in the moroi world, it was just pure greed. The rich wanted to stay rich, and they didn't care about the consequences going on holiday five times a year instead of four and continuing to donate had on those who were less fortunate.

Rose sighed as I studied her across the table. "Do you think this is really going to work, Dimitri?" At first, I was startled, thinking she was referring to our relationship, which I thought had been getting better with each passing day, but the tears that filled her eyes and the tremulous note to her voice let me know she was worried for the campaign. "It doesn't seem like it's working. They're ignoring the campaign and still pushing ahead with making the statue."

She sniffled, and I made my way around the desk to pull her into my arms. "Yes, we will be successful. Even if this campaign fails, we'll appeal. And if that fails, we'll appeal again. We'll do protest rallies and marches, hell, we'll even chain ourselves to the tree trunk like you keep threatening to do, if we have to." She giggled at my comment and I smiled. "But I'm not doing it naked. Although I wouldn't mind it if you did, and I was the only one there…"

Roza giggled and hid her face in my chest at my words. "What have Ivan and I done? Before you were so kind and sweet. We've corrupted you irreparably."

I grinned at her words and waggled my eyebrows, which made another light laugh burst from her chest. "Thank you," Roza pushed up onto her tiptoes, her mouth meeting mine for a short moment before she pulled away and sighed into my chest. "You always know how to make me feel better."

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "I'm glad. I don't like seeing you upset."

She smirked and poked at my stomach. "Are you getting all mushy or am I just so good in bed you don't want to risk losing this piece of ass?"

I rolled my eyes. "You are so crude, but it's part of the reason why I l- care for you so much."

She grinned. "You can say it, Comrade. I'm not going to freak out."

"You don't think it's too early? We've only been dating for two months."

"And we've known each other for six months. So? Time doesn't have any bearing, the truth of your feeling does. And there's no point hiding your feelings, because you talk in your sleep. I've already heard '_YA lyublyu tebya Roza'_, about ten times. You've just been unconscious is all. Considering the fact that I haven't run away screaming before, why do you think it'll be any different."

"How do you know what that means?"

She shrugged. "I asked Ivan. Then I had to give him a dead arm so that he didn't embarrass you or take the mickey. I wanted you to tell me when you were ready."

I gaped at her, and then leant down to kiss her deeply. "I love you, Roza. YA lyublyu tebya Roza."

She grinned. "Shall I let you in on a little secret?" She giggled and then kissed my jaw before wriggling out of my grasp, grabbing her bag and making her way towards the door. "Seni seviyorum Dimitri."

At my puzzled expression she grinned. "Google translate works wonders, Comrade. Use it, and you ca tell me what it means tonight."

* * *

**Translations: **

**Seni seviyorum Dimtiri** – I love you, Dimitri (Turkish).

**YA lyublyu tebya Roza.** (Я люблю тебя Роза) – I love you, Roza. (Russian).

* * *

**Awwww, they're such a sweet couple. :')**

**Speak to you guys in a week or so! Don't forget to check out the other entries.**

**h t t p :/ mandy52799 (dot) blogspot (dot) co (dot) uk/2012/04/ vampire-academy-banner-bunnies-contest (dot) h t m l (remove the spaces and put . instead of (dot).)**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen.**

**I'm back! **

My deepest apologies for the huuuuuuuuuuge wait. I'm working on the last two chapters of LWTA *sniffles* and I'm also trying to finish up a **o/s I'm writing for the** **Fandom for The Homeless**. It's a really, really good cause that's got some AMAZING authors signed up, but it desperately needs more donations! The link won't post here so check out my profile or type **'Fandom4thehomeless' **into google. The o/s I'm writing is going to be VERY hot, VERY smutty and VERY loving, and probably **will not be posted here on afterwards**, so if you want to read it eaither sign up as a contributing author or donate! :)

Comrade – very true! Hehe, not quite a romantic date but the second part of what you said is very close! ;) And lol, it may well come down to them chaining themselves to the tree naked xD Yeah, Rose and Ivan are very alike, they're going to be very close as the story continues. :) Thanks for reviewing!

Dimka's girl – here you go!

**Anyways, without further ado, here is chapter 19!**

* * *

"Roza!" my fist pounded on her front door. "Open up right now!"

A giggle sounded and then the door cracked open. "Yes?" Large, hazel eyes met my gaze and widened innocently as I growled under my breath, pushing on the door so that she'd open it fully.

"Let me in, you little tease."

She giggled again, and then moved from the doorway, allowing me to step over the threshold and shut the door behind me. "I'm guessing you figured it out," her arms snaked around my neck as mine wrapped around her waist and pulled her soft body flush against mine. "Or did you cheat and use goog-"

"Seni seviyorum Roza," My lips met hers softly. "Ya tebya lyublyu. Je t'aime. Ich liebe dich. Ti amo. Diligo vos. Te amo. Σ΄αγαπώ. I love you. I'll say it a thousand different ways, but the meaning is still the same. I love you, Roza."

Her eyes softened, and the brash exterior she tended to adopt disappeared as her arms tightened around my neck and the space between our lips decreased. I lifted her into my arms, smiling at the perfect way her body moulded around mine as her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer and her mouth touched mine.

"Take me to bed."

* * *

"Morning, Comrade," A smile pulled at my lips as Rose kissed me quickly and then rolled over, getting out of the bed before I could stop her. "I'll get breakfast ready, so make sure your sexy ass is in the kitchen asap."

I chuckled and stretched, enjoying the view of her naked body as she searched through the draw she'd allocated me to 'put my crap rather than carrying a stupid bag of clothes around everywhere' after I'd spent more than two nights at her flat.

"Stop staring at my ass, Dimitri."

I smiled. "Maybe I like staring at your bottom."

She laughed and then turned around, one of my shirts clutched in her hand and a pair of my boxers in the other as she rested her hands on her hips. "Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer."

My grin widened and I reached for the phone on the bedside table. "Smile for the camera, Roza."

Her jaw dropped, and then she squealed, droppig the clothes and jumping onto the bed to try and wrestle it out of my grasp as I laughed and fought her off.

"Don't you dare take a picture of me naked on that phone! It uploads photos straight onto the internet!"

"Oh no," I made my face sombre and worried.

"What?" Rose stilled above me, the smile gone from her lips. "What happened?"

"I might have taken one or two, the other day when you were 'posing' for me... in that lingerie..." Rose's face paled and her nails dug into my skin as she stared down at me in horror. "Psyche. It's not so funny when the shoe's on the other foot is it?" I laughed and then groaned as her fist connected with my stomach.

"You asshole. I didn't really give those pictures to Lissa!"

I laughed as she slapped at my chest and then caught her hands in mine, kissing her fingertips softly. "I'm kidding. And I'm pretty sure you're breaking your guardian promise when you beat me up."

That made her laugh. "One punch does not mean that I'm beating you up. It's character building." She pulled her hands from my grasp and wriggled off of the bed. "And besides," she pulled on my clothes she'd discarded in her panic and then flipped her long hair over her shoulder with a huff. "It doesn't count because you're my boyfriend."

"Is that so?"

"Yep!"

I laughed as she left the room, and then grimaced as I rubbed at the sore spot on my stomach. "You maybe be my girlfriend but you punch like a guy."

"I heard that! You'll get another one when you get in here if you want this toast!"

* * *

"I think that we need a day off from the campaign," Rose's words brought me out of my musings as we ate breakfast, and my eyes met hers. "We need to wait and see if anyone replies to the latest set of letters."

"What did you have in mind to do instead?"

"You."

I choked on my toast and looked up at her with wide eyes, to find her gaze hungry.

"But we had so much sex last night!"

She smiled and then lifted her spoon from the pot of yoghurt, her tongue darting out to slowly lick it clean with smooth, firm strokes. My eyes followed the paths her tongue made, and a whimper left my lips when she sucked the spoon between her lip and then pulled it out agonisingly slowly as she grinned slyly.

"Judging from your reaction, Comrade, I don't think you really have a problem with that idea."

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**I'm working on the next chapter and will try to have it out next week. Once I finish LWTA and the o/s I'll be fully focussed back on this story! :) Speak to you soon! xx**


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty.**

**So, I'm back! I'm not going to waste space explaining why I've been gone so long except for: writer's block and uni kicking my ass. I'm getting back into the swing of things now, and I will be replying to all reviews for the last chapter in the morning as I'm knackered and ready to pass out, lol. Now on with the story!**

* * *

"That's it," my chest heaved and Rose groaned into my chest where she'd all but collapsed in exhaustion. "No more sex for at least two days. I think I pulled a few muscles at least." I winced as I tried to lift Rose and pull her up the bed so that our faces were level and my hip twinged uncomfortably at the movement. "Make that _definitely_ pulled something."

Rose snickered, tucking her head underneath my chin as I pulled the covers up to shield us from the chill of the room and then wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her fully into my embrace.

"What are you laughing at, _Guardian_ Hathaway? So much for that famed guardian stamina, you're huffing and puffing worse than a grandma going up a flight of stairs!"

"At least I'm not complaining like an old grandpa who needs a hip replacemetn!"

"No, you're just coughing and spluttering like a granny who misplaced her false teeth!"

Rose had progressed from hiding her laughter to scowling up into my face, but my last comment made her eyes widen and her lips twitch.

"Could it be?" I mock-gasped, and her eyes narrowed despite the smile that was fighting to make it's way onto her face. "Could I have possibly outquipped the infamous Rosemarie Hathaw- Ouch!" My hands slapped at Rose's, she was pinching me with one and twisting my nipple with the other and it _hurt_. "Do you seriously copy children's fighting tactics and expect them to wi- _ouch_!"

This time, her grin was pure evil.

* * *

"You're going to have to tell her sooner or later, Dimitri." Ivan's voice was uncharacteristically sombre, and it only served to make my stomach clench even more.

"I know," my voice was soft, even to my own ears.

"You can't keep putting it off, it'll just hurt her more in the long run."

"I know," I sighed. "I just wish telling her wasn't going to break her heart."

* * *

"Rose, I-" Again, my throat dried up and the words left me. How was I supposed to tell her-

"You're breaking up with me./You want to break up."

"No, I- what?"

"It's okay. I expected it to happn sooner or later."

"No, Roza-"

"Thanks for letting me know before I got _too_ invested. I'd have hated to heave to break your spine in retaliation. Just take your things and get ou-"

"Stop." I pressed my fingers over her mouth gently, "I'm not breaking up with you. I don't know where you got that idea from, okay, I mean, I can see where you got it, I wasn't very... tactful with the way I tried to broach the subject, but I wasn't trying to break up with you!" Her brow was furrowed and I sighed as I lifted my hand from her mouth. "And now you're confused. Rose, I- they-" another, heavier, deeper sigh this time. "There's nothing more we can do. The Quorum's broken apart all of our defenses, our cases, our challenges... we've got nothing. We have no sponsors, all the charities are suffering heavily in the economy, hell, every single job regardless of whether it's charity work or not is suffering heavily, but unfortunately it's having an even greater negative impact upon us. We have no money at all. Ivan and I, we can barely afford to keep our flat as it is. And the time and effort that we're putting into this cause are hours that we _need_ to spend covering extra shifts and doing all that we can so that we have enough money to live from week to week. I'm sorry."

Rose stared up at me unblinkingly for several long moments, her hazel eyes wide and shocked before a flush stole up across her chest neck and cheeks, her lower lip trembled and she rushed forwards into my arms.

"Are you sure we can't even-"

"I looked into everything, every possible outlet and loophole I could find, Roza. There's nothing more we can do to stop them." My lips pressed against the crown of her head, breathing in her light scent and my arms tightened around her as she began to shake from the force of her sobs. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

***cries* But things have to get bad before they can get better, right? No, this story is not complete yet, even though that chapter sounded quite a lot like a finale, we're only about halfway through what I have planned out. **

**LWTA'ers, slowly but surely I am working on the epilogue! Again, I curse writer's block and the sadist who created university level coursework, for it is the bane of my existence. I am also working on a few more outtakes, and I'll give you more information on those as they get closer to completion.**

**Anyways, thank you very much for reading this chapter, and please leave a review, I'd love to hear from you if I still have any readers out there! *bats eyelashes***


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